Pokemon Gold & Silver - Come on, Pal!

        Hey, everyone! This is another one about a Pokemon game, our first crossing into the territory of the second generation. Yes, Gold and Silver, the place where I think Pokemon really started to shine, and the so-often-used label of it being some bubblegum-pop fad really started to lose any sort of grounding in reality. This addition to the series took Pokemon farther, showing the true potential of what Generation 1 started by adding many new features and fleshing out the old ones. Of course, in doing so, development was experimental - as any good game's development should be! - and many things were tweaked and cut along the way. The focus of today's post will be one of these many features: the PokeGear! It was definitely an interesting addition, spicing up the game while not bogging it down by being overly obtrusive in its features (besides some inane phone calls, heh heh.)
      Earlier in development it was utilized more in the core game. You would receive phone calls from characters you meet along the way to give you advice and prod you on to advance the plot. The game was much more story-driven, actually. I remember when they started cutting some of the story-related elements and I felt disappointed because they had an interesting narrative written about the return of Team Rocket and their crimes. The Slowpoke well, for example; originally it was a much darker story that involved Pokemon death and abuse. You were given the impression that Team Rocket are a sick group that originally hailed in Kanto until being vanquished in a big way by a mysteriously heroic young boy. Now that they're in Johto they're recruiting new members, strengthening existing ones and tapping into a large potential for crime and injustice.
      Earlier in the game it made you feel like Team Rocket were truly heartless and evil, but later on you visit less fortunate areas of Johto. See, with the focus on plot in this installment, you were going to see the Pokemon world in full detailed through extensive narrative text boxes and heavy dialog. It would show the beauty and the grandeur - the sights, the sounds, the places; people's bonds with each other and their Pokemon, and all of the joy offered by this fantastic world. Then there's the horrors that come creeping out, too. Impoverished towns, "sketchy" parts of cities, abuse, neglect, hurt. If Gen. 1 had this strange narrative JRPG style, as you walked through Celadon City you would have found, by speaking with NPCs and examining your surroundings, there are less privileged members of the Pokemon world. And that's how the Team Rocket plot tugs the heartstrings.
      Team Rocket members all joined because they had no where else to go: they were starving, going without shelter and basic human necessities. Their society had ignored and effectively failed them, keeping them in their miserable place with its continued existence. And because of this, they turned to the next best thing: a life of crime. If you're going to lead a life of crime, why not do it steadily, using an already existing syndicate to join that world and move up in rank? It's the perfect plan, really.
      So you might be thinking, "Well, what the fuck! GameFreak wanted to employ some shitty social commentary in their massive fad game and didn't do it, Why should I care?"
      Because it relates to the core feature I brought up earlier: the PokeGear. Think about low-culture multicolored cottage cheese mess of Entertainment. You get me.
   

Super Mario 4

The title screen

    Super Mario 4. A fine one indeed, shamefully put to rest by the rise of technology superior to the Famicom and NES. A true martyr at the hands of time's burning wrath. This game is what Super Mario World finds its roots in, though that is a fact known by few. After the success of Super Mario Bros. 3, Nintendo needed to do something more large, more ambitious with the Super Mario Brothers series; the prototypical Super Mario 4 is the product of this need. And the ambition shows. It features a world map, not dissimilar to the one in Super Mario World, and all of the levels are laid out similarly. There are various broken elements to the then-visually-advanced world map, though, such as the fact that you can actually skip across many worlds and levels in it. The ability to do this was a bit random and inexplicable; certain areas would block you off, while others could totally be passed with ease. In the world map, there were various things that seemed to be anomalies that in truth lead to secret levels. There were also some genuine anomalies, like random parts of land forms just out in the water, looking misplaced and purposeless. It was hard to distinguish what was truly a secret and what was simply an error in mapping (or a glitch.)

The Mini-Mushroom and its effects.

    Something else fascinating was that there were various scrapped power-ups, some farther along in development than others. These were all to be firsts for the series that would appear later, such as an Ice Flower that would cause enemies to stop in their tracks. It had a blue coloration, but didn't change Mario's appearance at all, and it had no "Ice" effects beyond causing enemies to cease their movements. There was also a variant on the standard Mushroom that was orange with red dots, likely meant to be the Mega Mushroom from later installments due to similarities in appearance. This mushroom had no functional purpose, however. The most interesting thing to me, and by far the most functional, was a Mini Mushroom. It had the same shape as the regular Mushroom, colored mainly with blue and dotted by white. It shrinks Mario down, giving him properties similar to those it gives in New Super Mario Bros. His jump is very floaty and high, and he can no longer kill enemies (at all, due to the lack of ground pound.) There aren't any areas made accessible by this power up (to my knowledge) but it's still a nice, fun addition to the game that I wish was kept from the transition of this game to Super Mario World.
   There was one feature in the game that definitely set it apart from previous, and even successive Mario games: The Inverse World. I only caught a few glimpses of this within the game, but, it was definitely to be a cool addition. On occasion, after beating a level, the pad you step on to visit it would become green instead of red. This was the indicator of it becoming an Inverse World level. The difference in the level caused by this is that it is in reverse; certain changes in design are necessary in some levels to make them completable. The coloration of the levels are changed in this state, and certain enemies are omitted or swapped out for others. I should also note that "Inverse World" isn't an official term for what these levels are, or where they exist, but it did appear in some of the design documents I saw for the game (thanks to the gracious overseers of the QA team I was in) along with various other little things of intrigue. When completed, the pad to enter the level becomes the same blue as the sea around the land Mario traverses on the world map.
   In the aforementioned design documents, I saw some interesting things that I believe should be noted. There were several different Goomba designs, mainly different in shape (some were angular and some were more rounded.) Some of the Goombas were particularly large, with sharp teeth smaller than their bottom set of fangs exposed through a dopey-looking open mouth. There was also a rocky Wiggler, keeping the distinct facial features (and flower) but having jagged, rough look. I assume it was meant for the subterranean levels. At some point within the documents, I saw something that I found particularly interesting -- concept art showing a view from behind Mario, going through labyrinthine tunnels looking like castles. It kind of reminded me of the special stages from Sonic 3, except this was (I assume) designed to be on the NES. I'm not sure what this would entail, but I think it could be sort of like a first-person dungeon crawler (because I don't think the NES could render such a thing in real time honestly.) It'd definitely bring a unique gameplay dynamic, although I'm not sure that it would be accepted as an enjoyable element, considering the nature of the rest of the Mario games and their main appeal: platforming.
   It is unfortunate, in my opinion, that many of these things were lost to the inevitability of game development and time. But Super Mario World is an incredible game, a true pinnacle of game design and a staple in gaming history.

Pokemon #2: Ditto

   In the planning phases of Pokemon Red and Green, Ditto was going to be an event Pokemon. This was before Mew (and for that matter, Mewtwo) was even a thought, and, given this chronology, I think this may put certain online theories regarding Ditto's origin to rest. Anyways, Ditto was meant to be a highly adaptive Pokemon, capable of learning any of the HMs (yes, even fly!) and TMs, and also having no significant type weakness (although it was still labelled as "Normal" type [probably due to the connoted neutrality of such a type]). Furthering the adaptability of Ditto, you could also use all five of the Evolution stones on it. The evolution stones (excluding Moonstones) would give Ditto the corresponding type, giving Ditto the like type advantage without the weakness. Moonstones would revert Ditto back to Normal Type. Using one of the four "main" evolution stones on Ditto would cause the evolution sequence to occur, changing Ditto's sprite into a pseudooval shape with its face in the middle. The PokeDex entry for these evolutions explains that the newly taken shape is caused by a crystalline coating around the Ditto's regular, gelatinous body.

The evolved Ditto.

    This may sound like it was potentially overpowered, and I would believe that to be granted given that this was going to be an event Pokemon, but that is actually quite untrue. Ditto possessed average stats, teetering close to being poor. They were all around the same number, really, and the HP was severely low, so going against a well-balanced and high-leveled team would definitely give Ditto a run for its money. The main appeal to Ditto as an event Pokemon would be the simple pleasure in having him fill that empty PokeDex slot, and another, considerably more unique feature.
    In the planned promotional material for Ditto, there were various hints to visit Blaine at his Gym in Cinnabar Island after acquiring the Pokemon. These hints were present because having Ditto in your party would trigger Blaine to have new dialogue. He would tell you that you have in your possession a scientific marvel, and that he would like for you to visit Mr. Fuji in Lavender Town. At this point in development, Lavender Tower wasn't in existence. In its place was a cave, which served as the "Graveyard" area. It had multiple descending levels, and a much similar side-quest plot involving the rescue of Mr. Fuji. Anyways, when you spoke with Mr. Fuji after being prompted to do so by Blaine, he tells you he has been looking for a specimen such as the one you hold for a long time, and that he thanks you for taking Blaine's words into consideration. (I suppose there was some implied speech on the player's part, but who am I to say?) Towards the end of this exchange, Mr. Fuji tells you he'd like for you to meet him in his "secret laboratory," and that it can be accessed through the fourth grave to the left of the stairs on the second lowest floor of the graveyard in the cave.
    At this point, I believe it has been made clear that the ambition of the developers with this promotional material was very high. I think Ditto was actually going to be a bought addition to the game, so at whatever retailer you would go to for his purchase, he would be transferred to your game through trade similarly to the actual Mew event. In Mr. Fuji's "secret laboratory," you soon find out that his apparent  resignation from the field of science wasn't quite true, and you will come to know him again as Dr. Fuji. Dr. Fuji's laboratory, despite what natural inclinations may lead you to believe, contains nothing sinister or dangerous-looking. Quite the contrary, actually; everything you find as you explore this labyrinthine complex of tiled-floor and science equipment is something related to the benefit of the health of Pokemon. You find many work-in-progress potions, ones with added benefits to the side or massive healing power; some can even be picked up and used on your Pokemon! There are many journal entries akin to the ones that would be found later in development within the Pokemon Mansion (at the time, this dungeon was nonexistent) describing attempts to reverse-engineer various substances like Revives. It's an incredibly insightful and intriguing trip through what could have lead to major in-plot developments in later games.
    After roaming through this completely innocuous dungeon, free of the common burden of enemy Pokemon, you eventually find Dr. Fuji standing within an office-like room. Upon approaching him, he automatically turns to you, and takes a few paces in your direction, initiating dialogue. He tells you that he is glad that he has held your interest for this long, and that you are already showing the worth as a trainer to possess such a Pokemon as Ditto. But, he says, he would like to take it further, and gain total assurance in your knowledge of Pokemon and skill as a trainer. He challenges you to a battle, prompting you with two options: Yes and No. If you select no, Dr. Fuji simply says that he understands, and that perhaps you could revisit him later if you change your mind. Selecting yes initiates the battle, and it is a ravaging one. A full team of six level one-hundreds, all with incredible stats beyond anything found within this game and any future ones in the series. The three starters of this generation - Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle - are within his team in their second-stage evolutionary forms. Their stats are ludicrously high, and they are dispersed through his team in an order of 2, 4, and 6. The first Pokemon within his team is a Marowak, with completely intense damage output and HP. Third in line is a Gengar, with an extreme mastery over the Special stat, who throws a barrage of Hypnosis, Lick, and Dream Eater at you. Fifth is a Porygon with suspiciously high stats all around; the crux of its power is its relentless hyper beams. And let it be known that the developments you see across Dr. Fuji's laboratory are not in vain within the context of this battle: he uses tons of stat boosts and healing items - even Revives! - so this battle can potentially drag on for a while.
    If your team is good (or lucky) enough to defeat Dr. Fuji, the battle ends with him saying "Wow. It truly is surprising,.." and upon returning to the overworld, the dialogue continues. He tells you that he knows you possess the knowledge and skill to be worthy of training the scientific marvel that is Ditto, and he wishes you well on your continued journey. He also informs you that he actually has an invention related to Ditto, that being a machine that can swap Ditto into any of its five forms with no repercussions at all. He also gives you an item that could serve as a Deus Ex Machina of sorts: the Universal Revive. It fully heals all of your party, curing them of all ailments and reviving any who are knocked out. After this, he says his final goodbye, ending the speech with a promise to keep his eye on your progress in the world.